The present invention embodies an improved fire extinguisher cabinet for installation in rooms, corridors or hallways of buildings. The invention improves the fire safety level of the building. The invention is easily accessible, visible, and aesthetically pleasing, and used for holding fire-fighting apparatus and equipment. The invention is intended to be at least partially recessed and mounted into a vertical wall surface.
Prior art fire extinguisher cabinets mounted into a fire wall surface may breach the integrity of the fire wall system, thereby undermining the safety of a building's fire prevention program, because a fire could pass more easily through a fire extinguisher cabinet than through the basic fire wall. The present invention is an improvement over the prior art, where installation of the improved fire extinguisher cabinet will not compromise the integrity of a fire-rated wall system and will maintain the soundness of a building's fire safety scheme.
Prior art fire extinguisher cabinets were not vigorously evaluated or tested in order to obtain information as to the cabinet's fire safety rating. An architect or builder was unable to evaluate the fire safety capabilities of a recessed fire extinguisher cabinet when planning a building's fire prevention program. The present invention has been vigorously evaluated and has successfully passed the tests for 1- and 2-hour combustible and noncombustible fire barrier wall systems.